Korea24 – 2022.06.16. (Thursday)

News Briefing: Top finance and economic officials met on Thursday to discuss the U.S. Federal Reserve’s biggest interest rate hike (0.75%p) in 28 years. The government also announced the Yoon administration's economic policy direction. (Koo Hee-jin)

In-Depth News Analysis(Korean Politics Digest): Professors Kim Byoung-joo and Cho Hee-kyung join the segment to discuss President Yoon Suk Yeol's most recent approval rating which dropped to the 40% range, and the DP-proposed bill on strengthening parliamentary oversight of the government.

Korea Trending with Jenny Suh:

1. The police announced that they apprehended 59 people for the illegal purchase, use, or possession of appetite suppressing narcotics. Side effects of the drug include addiction and hallucination. 47 of those caught were teenagers, and sales were made through social media. (마약류 식욕억제제 '나비약' 불법 판매·구매 59명 검거)

2. South Korea's first bill on physician-assisted suicide has been proposed at the National Assembly. 12 lawmakers signed the bill, which seeks to allow terminally ill people in unbearable pain who wish to end their life do so with a doctor's prescription and guidance. (‘조력 존엄사법’ 국내 첫 발의)

3. Lastly, FIFA released a video highlighting some of the players from the 32 countries that made it to the 2022 Qatar World Cup, with the roster of participating countries being finalized earlier this week. Son Heung-min, Hwang Hee-chan and Hwang Ui-jo were featured for Team Korea. (FIFA, 월드컵 진출 32팀 소개 영상 공개)

Explore Korea: Arts contributor Ahn Jae-woo delves into the world of visual artist Na Jeom-soo(나점수). While mainly a sculptor, he also has two-dimensional works. Na's solo exhibition "The Position of Being Nameless(무명_정신의 위치)" is currently on view at Art Space 3, located in the Seochon area.

Morning Edition Preview with Richard Larkin:

-The Korea Herald has a piece by Yoon Min-sik who delves into the fierce debate over “cat moms.”

-In the Korea Times, Lee Hae-rin writes about the Korea Tourism Organization unveiling new sports tourism programs in Gangwon Province.

Korea24 – 2022.06.15. (Wednesday)

News Briefing: Unionized cargo truckers have returned to work on Wednesday after reaching a deal with the government. This ended their eight-day strike demanding an extension of the safe trucking freight rates system, among others. Now, the ball is in parliament's court. (Emilee Jennings)

In-Depth News Analysis: Global stock markets have been shaky ahead of an FOMC meeting where another rate hike is expected. In Korea, KOSPI and KOSDAQ have plunged while the won has been sliding against the USD. Rajiv Biswas, Executive Director and Asia-Pacific Chief Economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence, joins the show to discuss the issue in-depth.

Korea Trending with Walter Lee:

1. BTS announced on Tuesday that they would take a break as a group, while exploring various projects as individuals. This came as the group celebrated the 9th anniversary of their debut. J-Hope is set to be the first member to release a solo album. (BTS, 그룹활동 잠정중단 전격 선언…"개인적 성장 필요")

2. The Taeguk Warriors finished all four friendly matches for June, with the team beating Egypt 4-1 on Tuesday at Seoul World Cup Stadium. Hwang Ui-jo, Kim Young-gwon each scored a goal in the first half, with Cho Gue-sung and Kwon Chang-hoon scoring in the last minutes. The next international match for the team led by coach Paulo Bento is set for July, at the EAFF Championship in Japan. ('황의조 1골1도움' 벤투호, 이집트 완파…6월 A매치 2승 1무 1패)

3. Lastly, Netflix announced a new reality competition based on the hit series “Squid Game.” 456 people will fight to win the prize money of 4.56 million dollars, playing games that appeared in the original series as well as new ones. (넷플릭스, 상금 60억원 걸고 진짜 '오징어 게임' 열어)

Korea Book Club: Barry Welsh brings us the short story "The Young Zelkova Tree(젊은 느티나무)" by Kang Shin-jae, translated by Shin Hyun-song. Published in the 60s, it revolves around a teenage girl beset by powerful feelings of love and desire for her stepbrother.

Morning Edition Preview with Richard Larkin:

-The Korea Times has a piece by Ko Dong-hwan, who writes about a survey finding that Seoul is the tenth best city for startups.

-Song Seung-hyun of the Korea Herald writes about an interview on the cast and staff of the documentary “Please Make Me Look Pretty,” shot by a father showing a young woman with Down syndrome.

Korea24 – 2022.06.14. (Tuesday)

News Briefing: Finance minister Choo Kyung-ho called for all policy tools to address the compounding crisis during an emergency staff meeting held on Tuesday. Instability in the financial and foreign exchange markets at home and abroad were discussed, and later in the day, the KOSPI closed below 2500 for the first time in 19 months. (Jenny Na)

In-Depth News Analysis: S.Korea's second launch of the Nuri rocket(KSLV-2) has been postponed to Thursday due to strong winds at the launch site. Professor Shin Dong-hyuk from KAIST helps us understand the significance of the launch as well as the optimal conditions for it.

Korea Trending with Jenny Suh:

1. Police revealed that former Korean Navy Lieutenant Rhee Keun, also known as Ken Rhee, came in for a questioning last week for violation of the Passport Act. He is known to have admitted to most of the charges against him. Rhee had fought for Ukraine as a member of an intl. legion of volunteers. (우크라 참전 이근 경찰 자진출석, 여권법 위반 조사)

2. Fifty entries won 1st prize in last week's Lotto, which was a record number of winners in the lottery's 20 year history. The reward also dropped to 440 million won each before tax. While some argue that it was rigged, officials explain that it was all a coincidence. ('로또 1등' 초유의 50명 당첨…조작 음모론 급속 확산)

3. CBS Sports predicted Team Korea to place fourth in Group H at the Qatar World Cup in November. This is in stark contrast with a previous prediction by ESPN just a couple of months ago, which expected South Korea to advance to the Round of 16, winning against Uruguay and Ghana. (CBS, 한국 월드컵 조 최하위 탈락 전망)

Touch Base in Seoul: If you are into wine, you may have stumbled upon Jay Lee's YouTube channel “wineking,” with over 304k subscribers. He's been visiting Korea, traveling the east coast, and we were able to chat with him in the studio. He tells us all about his wine journey and his YouTube channel.

Korea24 – 2022.06.13. (Monday)

News Briefing: South Korea’s main stock market tumbled to its lowest point this year, amid concerns that high US inflation will trigger more monetary tightening in the US and elsewhere as well as boost the rist of a global recession. The KOSPI fell 91.36 points, or 3.52%, closing the day at 2,504.51. (Emilee Jennings)

In-Depth News Analysis: Starting last week, some 3,000 employees at around 70 companies have begun a four-day workweek as part of a trial program conducted by two non-profits and a think tank, as well as researchers from the UK and the US. Considered the largest four-day workweek experiment in tor world, the study will try to find how the four-day workweek affects productivity and employee well-being, among other factors. Professor Brendan Burchell from the University of Cambridge, who helped design the study, joins the show to discuss the details of the pilot program and share his expectations.

Korea Trending with Walter Lee:

1. A civic group representing people with disabilities resumed subway-riding protests after a 52-day hiatus. They called for a meeting with the finance ministry, and said they would wait another week for a response until the next protest. (전장연, 출근길 지하철 시위 재개…4호선 운행 지연)

2. The film “The Roundup” topped 10 million admissions in South Korea, the first to do so since the pandemic. The previous movie to reach the milestone was Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” in July 2019. The latest film starring Ma Dong-seok also made over 10 million dollars worldwide from May 30 to June 5, ranking 5th in the world. ('천만영화' 범죄도시2, 해외도 홀렸다…전 세계 흥행 5위)

3. Former McDonald's restaurants have reopened in Russia, after being rebranded as "Vkusno & tochka," meaning “Tasty and that’s it.” The new food chain that bought out McDonald's after its exit from the Russian market opened 15 restaurants in Moscow on Sunday, selling most of the popular menus, but not the Big Mac and McFlurry. (러시아 철수했던 맥도날드, 러시아 업체가 인수해 재개장)

Sports: Sports reporter Yoo Jee-ho from the Yonhap News Agency joins the show to preview the upcoming football friendly between South Korea and Egypt. The match, set to kickoff at 8pm Tuesday, will not have Golden Boot winners Son Heung-min and Mohamed Salah play against each other, with Salah out due to injury. Jeeho shares the latest standings from the KBO and also brings news from the International Skating Union(ISU), where Korean Kim Jae-youl was elected president.

Korea24 – 2022.06.10. (Friday)

News Briefing: South Korea posted its first current account deficit in two years in April. This comes as the soaring prices of oil and raw materials pushed up imports and overseas dividend payments expanded. (Koo Hee-jin)

n-Depth News Analysis(Weekly Economy Review): Professor Yang Jun-suk discusses details of the unionized truckers' strike which enetered its fourth day on Friday, a new report finding that South Korea has the highest household debt-to-GDP ratio among 36 major economies, and the OECD raising its inflation outlook for 2022, while slashing its growth outlook.

Korea Trending with Walter Lee:

1. Olympic figure skating champion Kim Yuna will be joining hands with the Culture Ministry to promote the beauty of Hanbok. Ten companies will be chosen to design and make new Hanbok, and Kim will be directly involved in the planning and promotion. (김연아, 전 세계에 한복 알린다...한복 상품 개발 참여)

2. The KFA announced on Thursday that Jung Woo-young (Al-Sadd) would be released from the men's national football team for its June friendlies, due to injury. The squad is set to play against Paraguay and Egypt without the reliable midfielder. (정우영, 발목-정강이 부상으로 대표팀 하차)

3. BTS dropped their new album “Proof” on Friday. The anthology album combines the past nine years of the group since their debut, consisting of 48 tracks including three new songs. They will make media appearances from next week. (방탄소년단, “Proof”로 컴백)

Movie Spotlight: Film critics Jase Bechervaise and Darcy Paquet review Hirokazu Kore-eda's latest film Broker(브로커), for which actor Song Kang-ho won his first Cannes award in the Best Actor category. Our critics also review Missing Yoon(윤시내가 사라졌다) by director Kim Jin-hwa, which was invited to this year's Jeonju IFF.

Next Week from Seoul: Richard Larkin flags up some major events to look out for next week, including the Finance Ministry’s announcement of the Yoon Suk Yeol administrations economic policies.

Korea24 – 2022.06.09. (Thursday)

News Briefing: At the UN, the two Koreas clashed over the North's recent series of missile launches and the failed passing of additional sanctions by the UNSC in response to the provocation. (Koo Hee-jin)

In-Depth News Analysis (Korean Politics Digest): Professors Kim Byoung-joo and Cho Hee-kyung join the show as usual, this time to discuss the controversy surrounding President Yoon Suk Yeol’s prosecutor-heavy personnel choices, People Power Party chair Lee Jun-seok's trip to Ukraine, and the new Democratic Party interim leadership.

Korea Trending with Jenny Suh:

1. Former BIGBANG member Seungri has been discharged from the military, to serve his remaining prison term in a correctional facility for civilians. The Supreme Court had finalized his 18 month prison term in May for multiple charges including overseas gambling. ('상습도박 · 성매매 알선' 승리 오늘 전역→여주교도소 이감)

2. The Cultural Heritage Administration said that a new signboard for Gwanghwamun will be finished by 2023. This comes as a civic group noted that the current signboard had a crack. The new signboard will be more historically accurate, sticking to its original design. (또 갈라진 광화문 현판…2023년 하반기에야 새로 바뀐다)

3. The South Korean men's U-23 football team, led by coach Hwang Sun-hong, advanced to the quarterfinals of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup, finishing on top of Group C. There's a chance the young Taeguk Warriors could face Japan in their next match on Sunday. (황선홍호, U-23 아시안컵축구 8강 진출)

Explore Korea: Allison Needels from the blog Pinpoint Korea takes us to Daegu this week ahead of the summer. She shares the history behind Yakjeon Alley and the March 1st Independence Movement Stairs, and also introduces us to the Daegu Modern History Museum.

Morning Edition Preview with Richard Larkin:

-The Korea Times features an article by Dong Sun-hwa, explaining how Lucero Santiago from Mexico has been connecting Latin America and South Korea through her online magazine,

-At the weekender section of the Korea Herald, Kan Hyeong-woo writes about how Metaverse technologies are helping South Korea’s health care sector.

Korea24 – 2022.06.08. (Wednesday)

News Briefing: The PPP, the government, and the presidential office held a meeting and jointly pledged to respond sternly to North Korea's repeated provocations. Meanwhile, the vice foreign ministers of South Korea, Japan, and the US also held a meeting today and condemned the North's actions. (Emilee Jennings)

In-Depth News Analysis: The US recently saw its second-deadliest school shooting ever in Uvalde, Texas, and it reignited the debate on gun control. We invite law and criminal justice professor Rick Sarre from the University of South Australia to discuss Australia's experience of changing gun laws after a mass shooting.

Korea Trending with Walter Lee:

1. The country's beloved television presenter Song Hae has passed away at the age of 95. He had been hosting "Korea Sings," or "National Singing Contest" at KBS for 34 years bringing joy to the screen and on stage. ('전국∼노래자랑!' 원조 국민MC 송해 별세…향년 95세)

2. Psy's upcoming summer concerts have been seeing some backlash, as the singer previously shared that he uses around 300 tons of water for each concert. Some argue that he should tone it down, considering the severe drought the country is seeing. (3년 만에 재개하는데…'싸이 흠뻑쇼' 논쟁 휘말린 이유)

3. In the UK, over 3,300 people at some 70 companies began working a 4-day work week. As part of a 6-month pilot program organized by a non-profit group and other research organizations, it will see how employees respond to the extra day off in terms of stress, satisfaction, health, and other aspects. ('주4일제 근무' 세계 최대 규모 실험…"이제는 '삶의 질'이 경쟁력")

Korea Book Club: Barry Welsh reviews a short story titled “Vertigo(현기증)” by Kim Se-hee, translated by Brother Anthony. Featured in the Winter 2020 edition of the Koreana magazine, it’s about the life and struggles of a young woman in Seoul.

Morning Edition Preview with Richard Larkin:

-Jie Ye-eun from the Korea Herald writes about punk rock band No Brain’s return, with their first all-English EP.

-In the Korea Times, Park Han-sol has a piece about the iconic “Hammering Man” sculpture in downtown Seoul celebrating its 20th anniversary.

Korea24 – 2022.06.07. (Tuesday)

News Briefing: South Korea and the US conducted a combined air power demonstration, mobilizing some 20 warplanes including F-35A stealth fighters. This comes a day after the allies fired eight surface-to-surface missiles in response to North Korea launching eight short-range ballistic missiles on Sunday. (Jenny Na)

In-Depth News Analysis: Dr. Yoo Byung-wook from Soon Chun Hyang University Hospital Seoul joins the show to discuss the latest downward trend in daily COVID-19 cases, whether we are ready to get rid of the 7-day quarantine mandate for those infected, and more.

Korea Trending with Jenny Suh

1. A child fell from a ride at an amusement park in Wolmido, Incheon. While her injuries aren't life-threatening, it is being reported that staff didn't buckle the seat belt properly, even when the girl had alarmed them of the issue.

2. From Tuesday, subway lines 2, 5-8 will run as late as 1 a.m. on weekdays and midnight on weekends. Line 1 is expected to follow suit from July, and by August, all subway lines in Seoul will operate as they used to before the pandemic.

3. Son Heung-min has become the 16th Korean male player to join the FIFA Century Club, playing his 100th international match in a 2-0 win against Chile on Monday. He also netted one of the goals, along with Hwang Hee-chan.

Touch Base in Seoul: Writer Bora Chung of “Cursed Bunny” joins the show again, this time as a major award-nominated writer. We ask her what the whole experience has been like, what she made of people falling in love with Cursed Bunny, and what she's up to next.

Morning Edition Preview with Richard Larkin:

-The Korea Times’ Lee Yeon-woo writes about how sports shows featuring women’s football has helped boost interest for the sport.

-In the Korea Herald, Kim Hae-yeon has a story on a new series of guided tour programs to royal tombs of the Joseon era.

Korea24 – 2022.06.06. (Monday)

News Briefing: President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed to deter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, and also promised to build a country where heroes in uniform receive due respect. He made the remark at a ceremony marking the nation's 67th Memorial Day. (Jenny Na)

In-Depth News Analysis: South Korea and the US fired eight missiles into the East Sea on Monday, in response to North Korea's ballistic missile launches from the previous day, Meanwhile, Seoul's defense chief Lee Jong-sup will attend the Asia Security Summit, also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, this week. He is set to meet with his Chinese counterpart on the sidelines, with a meeting with his US and Japanese counterparts reportedly being discussed. Prof. Robert Kelly from Pusan National University joins the show to share his insight.

Korea Trending with Walter Lee:

1. President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to move in to his main office around the 19th, as renovation work is set to finish by then. He has been using the 5th floor spare office after opening up the former presidential complex Cheong Wa Dae to the public. (尹대통령 '2층 주집무실' 19일께 완공 예정)

2. Over the weekend, Choi Ha-young became the first Korean to win the Queen Elisabeth Competition's cello division. She is the fourth Korean to win first prize at the prestigious competition, which is held in rotation for violin, piano, voice, and cello. (첼리스트 최하영, 퀸 엘리자베스 콩쿠르 우승)

3. Lastly, the city of LA is pushing for a ban on residential and commercial gas appliances for new buildings, as part of a move toward carbon neutrality. People in the Asian restaurant industry, including K-BBQ restaurant owners and Chinese chefs, are concerned this could change the whole barbecue/wok culture in the city. ("LA서 한국식 바베큐는 끝인가"…새 건물 가스사용 금지 추진)

Sports: Reporter Yoo Jee-ho from Yonhap News Agency discusses the men's football team's friendly against Brazil from last week, where the Taeguk Warriors lost 5-1, and shares expectations for tonight's match against Chile. He also updates us on the roster change at the KBO, as well as Ryu Hyun-jin's arm injury.

Morning Edition Preview with Richard Larkin:

- Tomorrow’s Korea Herald features a story by Kan Hyeong-woo, about how BTS’ music video for “Dynamite” will be sent from the moon to Earth to test the availability of internet connection in space.

In tomorrow’s Korea Times, Park Han-sol writes about an exhibition that unveils a painting of an American landscape created by a Korean artist from the 1880s.

Korea24 – 2022.06.03. (Friday)

News Briefing: Inflation in South Korea has reached a near-14 year high, with latest government data showing that consumer prices had gone up by 5.4% on-year in May. The Bank of Korea has warned the inflation rate is expected to remain in the five percent range in June and July as well. (KOO Hee-jin)

In-Depth News Analysis (Weekly Economy Review): Economics Professor Yang Jun-suk from the Catholic University of Korea joins us to give his analysis on the 14-year high inflation rate in South Korea. He also gives his thoughts on the record 62 trillion won budget that was passed by the National Assembly to support small businesses on Sunday, as well as a recent ruling by the Supreme Court related to the peak wage system.

Korea Trending with Walter Lee:

1. The name for the new presidential office in Yongsan has been narrowed to 5 final contenders. (대통령 집무실 새 이름 후보 5개로 압축)

2. South Korea lost to Brazil 5-1 in the highly anticipated football friendly match in Seoul on Wednesday. (축구대표팀 브라질에 5대 1 완패)

3. Turkey has officially changed its name to Turkiye at the United Nations. (터키 국호 '튀르키예'로 변경, 유엔 승인)

Movie Spotlight: The latest in the Jurassic World franchise, Jurassic World Dominion (쥬라기 월드: 도미니언), hit theaters in Korea this week. Film critics Jason Bechervaise and Darcy Paquet give their thoughts on the film. They also review a local drama called Cassiopeia (카시오페아), starring the veteran actor Ahn Sung-ki.

Next Week From Seoul with Richard Larkin:

- South Korea and China will hold bilateral defense ministerial talks during the Asia Security Summit next Friday.

- Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Dmytro Senik will arrive in Seoul on Monday for a three-day visit.

- South Korea will face Chile in its second men's national football friendly match this month.

- K-Pop group BTS will release their new album "Proof" next Friday.